Ravi Bopara exclusive: Being dropped by England felt weird

Ravi Bopara couldn’t believe he had been dropped from the England side earlier this year and even thought it might have been a prank.

Bopara didn’t feature in the one-day series against India at the end of the summer and in an exclusive interview with GiveMeSport he reveals his disappointment at not being involved.

“It was tough to take, I didn’t expect it at the time, it was just a bit weird," he explained. "It hit me with a massive surprise when I got the phone call, I was like no, someone is playing with me here.”

Return

But the Essex all-rounder is back in the squad to tour Sri-Lanka and could play in the first ODI next week. He explained how he overcame the initial frustration and his desperate desire to prove the England hierarchy wrong.

“You take it on the chin, eventually it sinks in and you just think, what have I got to do to get back in.

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"What gets you back in is putting runs on the board and showing the selectors you were wrong to make that decision, I should be in your side, I want to play for England and pick me.”

World Cup hopes

Bopara will be hoping he can make a good impression in the upcoming series so he can stake a claim to be in the squad that goes to the World Cup next year, but believes good preparation is essential for any success.

“You have still got to try and win every game in those four years that lead up to a World Cup, it’s not like those series that you play are not important.

“It would be great to win it (the World Cup). It would be a different feeling if you do and you’re holding the trophy.

"But you’ve still got to see it as a series and go from game-to-game”

India are the current holders of a competition England have never won and haven’t reached the final of for 22 years, so a good series against Sri Lanka will be required if that run is to come to an end.

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